newton



(No Model.) 2 sheetssheen 1. W. J. NEWTON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2'.

W. J. NEWTON. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Patented May 11, 1897.

(No ModeL) @-E @f4/o W e u or. /Zww CZE f A UNITED STATES' ATENT Prien.

VILLIAM J. NEVTON, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,303, dated May 11,1897'.

Application iiled January 28,1897. Serial No. 621,114:x (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may' concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. NEWTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, county of New York,State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, fullydescribed and represented in the following speciflcation and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The object of the present invention is to insure a more positiveoperation of the contacts in an electric switch and to facilitate themanufacture of the switch by a particular 'combination of the movingparts with the body of insulating material,as porcelain, vulcanite,rbc., to which the .fixed contacts are attached.

In the present construction the movable connector which closes thecircuit is formed upon a rocking lever]7 and the same is actuated by aT-shaped lever termed a manual lever, the opposite arms of which areconnected with two push-pins. .A metallic frame is secured to theinsulating-body, and the movable parts of the switch are fitted to suchframe, so that they may be adjusted in their proper relation before theframe is connected to such body. Two push-pins are used, so that theoperator may positively move the connecting-piece into and out ofconnection with the fixed contacts upon the insulatingbody, and themetallic frame is therefore preferably made of T shape (with a posthaving opposite arms at one end) and secured in the middle of such body,with the rocking lever and the manual lever vpivoted upon the post, andthe two push-pins extend through Y the lateral arms of such frame, whichthus serve as guides for the pins. The extreme ends of these frame-armsare provided with holes through which screws are inserted to secure theentire switch in the wall-box, and the same arms furnish a metallicsurface to which the face-plate may be secured by a single screw, theface-plate having` holes corresponding with the guides in the arms,through which the push-pins are inserted.

The invention will be understood by reference tothe annexed drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a front elevation of the switch with the coverremoved, with a spiral spring to press the rocking lever in oppositedirec.-

tions. Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3. an edge view. Fig. 4 is anelevation of the metallic frame and movable parts detached from theinsulating-body, with a ball-shifter and a flat coiled spring to shiftthe rocking lever when breaking the contact only. Fig, 5 is a sideelevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4 with the manual lever in itscentral position and a section of the other parts of the switch invertical section adjacent to the line 5 5 in Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of the switch as shown in Fig. l, with the insulating-body insection on line 6 G in Fig. l. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of theswitch on line '7 7 in Fig. l. Fig/8 is'a plan, and Fig. 9 an edge view,of the manuallever detached from its support. Fig. lO is an edge view,and Fig. ll a plan, of the metallic frame detached from .the otherparts.

A designates lthe wall-box, and B the surface of the adjacent wall.

C is a rectangular body, of porcelain or other insulating material,having cover C2 and formed with recess C in one side, as shown in Fig.l, to receive the fixtures of the switch and formedV in the edges withnotches CS to admit the conductors to the stationary contact-screws c.These screws are tapped into plates c', which are clamped to the body Cby screws c2 and hold the stationary copper contact-leaves d and d',which project upward and downward past one another, as shown in Fig. 6.The post E of the frame-bar is fitted to a vertical groove in the bottomof the recess C and is held to the body by screws e. Its lateral arms Eare projected beyond the body C to rest upon the wall-box A, and holesE2 are formed through the ends of the arms E, through which screws areinserted into the wall-box and thus secure the switch therein. Push-pinsF F are fitted to the arms adjacent to the post E, and a lever of Tshape (which I term the manual lever G, as it is operated positively bythe push-pins F F') is pivoted upon the post E, with its lateralarms 5 gtted loosely to eyes f upon the push-pins.

The lrocking lever II is pivoted upon the post E below the manual leverand is formed with two teeth h, with intervening space h', adapted toreceive a toe g upon the manual lever. The rocking lever is preferablymade of insulating material to insulate the blocks ICO or plates I,which are fixed upon its opposite ends to contact with the leaves CZ andd. The studsj are projected from the lower end of the post E of theframe-piece and from the rocking lever above its pivot 7c, and a spiralspring J is connected to such studs, which are so arranged th at thespring operates equally when the rocking lever is moved a little pastits central position to complete the movement in the same direct-ion.The space or notch h between the teeth h upon the rocking lever is mademuch wider than the toe g to afford clearance for the spring to thusoperate the lever when it has been moved a little past its centralposition by the toe.

A face-plate B is shown applied to the top of the arms E and securedthereto by a single screw b, inserted through the center of theface-plate, the face-plate being perforated to permit the passage of thepush-pins, and thus serving, with the arms E', as guides for such pins.The pins prevent the face-plate from turning upon the arms, and theplate is thus secured in position by a single screw and is much lessdisfigured than where a large number is used.

In Fig. l the pin F is shown protruding from the face-plate, and thecontacts Yupon the rocking lever are out of engagement with both theleaves cl and cl, thus breaking connections at opposite `sides of theswitch, respectively, for the positive and negative conductors N N. Thepressure upon the pushpinF serves to push the toe against the tooth h'and thus draws the blockI almost entirely from the spring byhand-pressure, the rocking lever being carried past its central positionby the pressure of the push-pin, thus permitting the spring J to actupon the lever and complete the movement, so as to break the contactquickly, as is required in such switches, and carrying the rocking leverto the position indicated in dotted lines. When the lever is thuswithdrawn from the stationary contacts, the tooth h is carried over intocontact with the toe upon the manual lever,which is represented indotted lilies, thus adjusting the parts in readiness for the reversemovement. The pressure upon the pin F then shifts the rocking leveragain past its central position, and its movement is completed by thespring J, as before described, thus making the contact quickly, as isdesired.

A modification of the means forshifting the rocking lever quickly isshown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lower side of the lever having a metallictooth Z embedded therein and a ball m mounted upon a spring n in asocket upon the posts E, the ball pressing upon the point of the tooth Zwhen the rocking lever is in its central position and forcing it awayfrom such central position in either direction to which it is moved bythe manual lever. In addition to the spring-ball the rocking lever isfurnished with a spiral-coil spring n', having one end attached to thescrew la, upon which the rocking lever is pivoted, and the other endsecured to the rocking lever with its tension arranged to assist themovement of the lever when it is moving away from the stationarycontacts CZ CZ. Such quick movement of the lever obviates sparking7 andthe consequent corrosion of the contact-surfaces.

Such modification of the spring which is used for shifting the rockinglever quickly operates substantially the same as the spring J exceptthat the modification includes the supple mental or auxiliary spring n,which has necessarily such a limited tension as to permit thespring-ball to shift the rocking lever in either direction while itassists the movement of the lever in one direction, as is required.

-l find a material advantage in constructing the moving parts upon ametallic frame independent of the insulating-body C, as it permits suchparts to be finished, pivoted together, and adjusted separately from theinsulating-body, within which it is then readily secured by the screw orscrews e. (Shown in Figs 5 and 7.)

The precise shape of the insulating-body is not material, provided itholds the stationary contact in the required relation to the rockinglever.

I-Iaving thus set forth the nature of my invent-ion, what I claim hereinisl. In a wall-switch, the combination, with the insulating-body Chaving stationary contacts at the edge, of the metallic frame secured tosuch body and having post E and arms E, with the rocking lever I-I,manual lcver G, and push-pins F, F fitted movably to such fra-me, suchparts being adapted for adjustment apart from the body C, and forcooperation with the stationary contacts when the frame is secured tothe body, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a flush switch having the face-plate B with pins F, F movablethrough the same, the stationary contacts d, d', the rocking lever l-Iwith blocks I to engage such contacts, and having teeth h, 7i', withintervening space b', and the manual lever Gr having toe to fit thespace 7L', and arms g engaged with the pins F, F, the combination, withsuch elements, of the insulating-body C having the stationary contactssecured thereto near opposite sides, and the metallic frame having postE secured in the middle of such body with the rocking lever and manuallever pivoted thereon, and having arms E with screw -holes in the endsfor securing the switch by screws to the wall-box, substantially asherein set forth.

3. In a double-pole wall-switch, the combination, with theinsulating-body C having the stationary contacts d, d at opposite edges,of the metallic frame secured to the middle of such block, and havingpost E and arms E with the rocking lever I-I, manual lever G, andpush-pins F, F constructed as described, and tted movabl y to suchframe, such parts IOO IIO

,and fitted movably to such frame, the arms E having screw-holes E2 forscrews to secure it in the Wall-box, and the face-plate B With holes toft the pins F, F', being applied over the arms E and secured thereto bya single screw between the pins, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an electric switch having insulatingbody C, contacts cl, d',rocking lever H and manual lever G as described, the combination, withsuch parts, of the T-shaped frame having the post E with the rockinglever H and the manual lever G pivot-ed thereon, and having the arms E'perforated adjacent to the arms g of the manual lever to form guides forpush-pins, the face-plate B tted over the armsE, with holescorresponding to such guides andthe push-pins F, F tted therethrough tooperate upon the arms g, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM J. NEWTON.

